Based in Reykjavik the men of Brain Police are Icelandic citizens but with the souls of American rock gods. Fueled by a desire to play dirty, kick ass rock and roll BP (as fans call them) rose like a comet in the night from relative obscurity in their home country to become one of Iceland biggest rock acts. It’s hard to find higher praise about Brain Police than this quote from fellow Icelandic musician Jónsi (Sigur Rós) “Brain Police is definitely one of Iceland’s greatest bands – one of my favourite. The music is driven by magnificent force and great personal charisma.” It all began, like most bands do, back in 1998 when Jón Björn Ríkarðsson, Gunnlaugur Lárusson and Hörður Stefánsson got together and started jamming some seriously heavy tunes. Very quickly the boys realized they had something special going on. They snagged a name from the Frank Zappa catalog and began honing their skills by assaulting the local touring circuit. 2000 saw the release of their mightily impressive debut “Glacier Sun” which was followed by, what else, more savage touring inside Iceland. Amazed by what they heard Icelandic label “Sena” snapped up Brain Police in 2003 and over the next four years released three more albums of BP’s down and dirty style of Icelandic stoner rock. Each successive album starting with 2003’s self-titled “Brain Police” brought the boys more and more fame in their native country not to mention several top 10 radio hits.
Overview: In theory, forming a rock group seems like a no brain‚er. Get a group of musicians who have a shared love of certain bands and who can get along with each other for at least an hour. Hell, sometimes they don't even have to be musicians (especially if you're looking at the Top 40 charts). But in reality, it's a lot tougher, as the essential ingredient? What makes the group truly unique and memorable - is something that can't be defined, learned, or bought. Call it talent, magic, or whatever you want, but Greenleaf's got it. A super group of the underground rock scene, the band was formed sometime in late 1999/early 2000 by guitarist Tommi Holappa (Dozer), drummer Daniel Liden (Demon Cleaner and the drummer on DOZER's "Through the Eyes of Heathens," and currently in AND The Machine Said Behold!), and engineer/ bassist Bengt Bäcke. Featuring a revolving cast of fellow musicians who share a love of heavy fuzz rock, including Fredrik Nordin (Dozer), and Peder Bergstrand (Lowrider), Greenleaf has consistently defined what rock 'n' roll was, is, and should be. You put 2001's "Revolution Rock", 2003's "Secret Alphabets" and 2007's "Agents Of Ahriman" on and you're going to have a hard time taking them off. The band cooks, because they've got that special ingredient. It's time to rejoice, because Greenleaf is back with "Nest Of Vipers." Like their past releases, "Vipers" is a righteous kick in the ass and a testament to the almighty riff. This time, Tommi and Bengt are joined by Oskar Cedermalm (Truckfighters) on vocals, Olle Mårthans (Dozer) on drums, Johan Rockner (Dozer) on guitar, and a handful of guest appearances. This new lineup keeps Greenleaf moving forward without losing track of what made them great in the first place. Take note - this is what rock bands should sound like. Make way for the "Nest of Vipers."
THE GRAVIATORS was formed deep in the woods of southern Sweden in 2009, with a vision to write and record music inspired by the sounds of the great rock ‘n’ roll groups of the 70's. With a mix of heavy, yet melodic riffs, that will take you on a trip back in time, when bands like Black Sabbath and Pentagram took heavy rock to new heights, The Graviators caught the ear of Swedish label Transubstans who signed them in early 2009. On December 11th, The Graviators self titled debut hit the stores. Their first music video, for the song Back to the Sabbath, was shot by renowned music video director Thomas Tjäder who have made videos for In Flames, At The Gates, The Haunted, and Soilwork etc. The band was featured with the track The Magician, which also appeared on the vinyl release, on the Planet Fuzz compilation Cowbells & Cobwebs. In 2010 Dutch label Clear Spot/ Headspin records released the album as an exclusive double splatter vinyl. The artwork for this vinyl release (and the 2nd press of the album on CD) was made by the incredible artist Vance Kelly. In December 2010 they had the great honor of supporting the American doom legends Saint Vitus on their European tour, which took the bands through eight countries. 2011 saw the release of a vinyl split with Swedish/Norwegian band Brutus, a 14-minute epic called Druid’s Ritual. The track was mixed and mastered by Henryk Lipp, who has produced records by Thåström, Millencolin, Union Carbide Productions to name a few. In September 2011, The Graviators entered Studio Berno to record their second album, entitled Evil Deeds. Producer Berno Paulsson have produced such records as Spiritual Beggars "Another way to shine" and The Haunted "The Haunted made me do it". It was recorded with analouge equipment, for that retro feel! The record features Petrus Fredestad on Hammond organ, Wurlitzer piano & Synths. Petrus was also a guest musician on Graveyards album "Hisingen Blues". His own band is called First band from outer space. At the end of 2011 The Graviators were approached by austrian record label Napalm Records, who signed the band to a wordwide record deal. The Graviators will release the second album in the fall of 2012 on Napalm Records.
Out of the ashes of long running NYC band Kreisor emerges MIRROR QUEEN. Under the Kreisor moniker, the band put 2 US tours and 4 European expeditions behind them, including tinnitus inducing sojourns supporting UFO and Uli Jon Roth all over the Continent. A successful four week European tour last spring as part of the Berlin based booking agency Sound of Liberation’s “Up In Smoke” tour series brou
ght them back to Europe, winning over fans from Berlin to Torino and many points between.
Presently, Mirror Queen is hard at work creating the follow-up album to last year’s From Earth Below. Influenced by such 70’s legends as Hawkwind, Deep Purple, UFO, Blue Oyster Cult, Captain Beyond, the rockier sides of more recent outfits such as Motorpsycho and Swervedriver, as well as the best of the current heavy bands, they aspire towards psychedelic hard rock of the highest order.
Original members Kenny Kreisor (flying V, vocals) and Jeremy O'Brien (drums) have been joined by James Corallo on bass and Thomas Bellier (of Blaak Heat Shujaa) on second guitar. Together they transcend the sameness of much of today's stoner scene, blasting the audience by including songs with the volume and adding hooks to the timeless riffs.